The Love Note in the Skull
by CrystalClear98
Summary: Mina has a dark past and an even darker secret, now someone's sent her a love note in the skull of a murder victim. She knows exactly who sent it but the problem is, who's going to believe her? Who would want to believe her? No-one wants to find out that they killed the wrong twin.


**Okay first Bones fic take it easy on me, this is a tester chapter. Please review :)**

Chapter One

"Where's the skull?" Dr Brennan practically flew up the steps onto the platform, in a hurry to get to the body before someone else did. Not that anyone in their right mind would actually challenge her over rights to a body.

"It wasn't at the crime scene, they searched a 10 mile radius, nothing." Cam shook her head, just as bewildered as everyone else, but slightly better at hiding it.

"Did they use dogs?" Fisher asked in his dull tones. Even the fact that there wasn't a skull didn't lift him from his ever depressant mood. Although recently he had gotten a little cheerfuller.

"Yeah, the dogs couldn't smell anything but the body, so they sat by the body."

"They just sat there?" Brennan had used dogs to find missing body parts before and had always found that they were incredibly useful.

"Yep. But I tell you what the dogs did find, straight away, a wolf and her cubs. The handlers pulled them off because they thought the wolf would attack them. It was already dead, along with 2 cubs. The other 2 were wandering about looking lost."

"The victim is female, approximately 34 years old, Caucasian." Brennan mused. "Impossible to give and identity without the skull though."

"Do you think the killer killed the wolf and her cubs?"

"We don't have enough evidence to confirm that this is murder yet Mr. Fisher, let alone enough evidence to suggest that, if it was murder, that the killer did this." Brennan told him brusquely, as though he should have known that, which in her mind he should have. Fisher shrugged it off like he always did, he was used to it, they all were.

Hodgins came bounding up the steps, Angela following at a slightly less enthusiastic pace.

"She just came swirling in and took them!" Hodgins whined to Cam, who sighed and nodded.

"They wolf cubs are _her_ jurisdiction Hodgins, the new division was set up for this precise purpose, you'll still have access to them but they'll stay with her where they'll receive the very best of care." This wasn't going to be the last problem with the new division, the Animal Witness Unit was called that simply because it was far more simple that the Animal's Involved in Crimes Unit.

Brennan looked confused.

"Who took the wolf cubs?"

"Head of the Animal Witness Unit, Mina Bullridge. If you want to see the cubs Hodgins go and ask nicely." Cam informed Brennan giving Hodgins her 'Final Word' look. He sighed and went back to his part of the lab, all hope already lost in his mind.

"You know I get why he's so intimidated, Australian women are very dominant." Fisher contributed to the conversation.

"She's Australian?" Angela asked, intrigued. "I have always wanted to go to Australia!"

"It's supposed to be quite beautiful." Brennan agreed in her own way.

"Yes, she's been here five months." Cam told them. And then Brennan confirmed what was worrying them.

"There are markings on the ribs, as though somebody pushed a knife between them. See, here, here and here." She said, pointing out the markings. "This was murder."

How could they find out who had done this without the victims identity?

Brennan wasn't picking up her phone, she was busy burying herself in evidence, two days into the case the skull was yet to be found and all hope of finding out who had killed this girl was slowly dwindling, but Booth panicked and, since he had to interrogate someone he sent poor Sweets to check on Brennan.

"Hey Hodgins have you seen-" Sweets began only to be interrupted by a suddenly thrilled Hodgins.

"Sweets! Just the man for a diplomatic meeting with an Australian woman with no concept of the word share."

"Um, actually I'm just here to-"

"All you gotta do is go down to the Animal Witness Unit and negotiate terms with the female Blackbeard, minus the beard, but her hair is black. Then I'll tell you what you want to know."

"You do realise that it's illegal to blackmail a federal agent right?" Hodgins snorted.

"Whose gonna know?"

And that is how Sweets found himself knocking on the door of the head of the Animal Witness Unit's. He heard someone stumble about and an Australian voice mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "Oh shit, fuck! Who put that there. Oh Crikey!"

Sweets was not prepared for the face that appeared as the door opened. A tiny figure in black skinny jeans, a dark green t-shirt and long black hair that hung in a plait that was slapping against her thigh from where she'd rushed to the door, bright green eyes that sparkled, her skin was golden brown and she had naturally dark red lips.

"Hi, you're here from the bug guy aren't you? Might as well come in."

"Umm." Was all Sweets could manage to say in response. She flung open the door and swirled back inside. He stepped inside cautiously, he immediately noticed the two cubs playing on the floor. They were scratching at a box in a weird way.

"Must've fallen asleep on the couch, it wasn't this late when I sat down. I'm Mina by the way, door doesn't say it yet. Gotta get that done."

"Sweets, I'm a psychologist from the FBI." Mina smiled at him, went to say something, saw the cubs and froze.

"I didn't let them out."

"What? The cubs? Maybe somebody else let them out."

"I'm the only one who knows the pass code. And that box wasn't there when I sat on the couch and had an unexpected nap."

"Why are they scratching at it like that." Sweets said, noticing her panic and trying to distract her.

"Can you smell that? Meat, rotting. They think it's food." Mina summoned all her courage and picked up the box. The address read,

_Mina Bullridge _

_Animal Witness Unit_

_Jeffersonian Institute _

"I know that handwriting." She tore open the top of the box with trembling hands.

Inside the box were two objects.

One was a red rose.

"I think I found Dr Brennan's missing skull."


End file.
